In 2025, fire departments serving Sugarcreek responded to 49 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
300 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $425K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59 | — | |
| 2022 | 51 | -13.6% | |
| 2023 | 58 | +13.7% | |
| 2024 | 83 | +43.1% | |
| 2025 | 49 | -41.0% |
For the 14 building fires Sugarcreek departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 65 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outside area, other | 11 | 16.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.8% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 9.2% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 9 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 16.9% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Sugarcreek mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 29 | 44.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 13.8% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Match | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 10.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sugarcreek departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $7,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sugarcreek sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,338 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 19.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 23.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 36.3 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Sugarcreek. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.